Focus in the classroom

An ability to focus in the classroom can go a long way toward helping students achieve their academic goals. But distractions lurk in every corner, making it easier than ever to succumb to a lack of focus.

Maintaining focus in the classroom can be difficult in the digital age, but students can try various strategies to block out distractions once class begins.

• Disconnect your devices . A 2020 report from the nonprofit association Educause found that the majority of students report connecting two or more devices to campus Wi-Fi each day. Devices often serve as useful tools that augment classroom lessons, but they also can distract students. Students can turn off notifications on their phones and tablets before class begins so that familiar ping does not sound during lectures and lessons. In addition, unless devices are necessary during a class, students can store them in places where they won’t be tempted to check for messages or other alerts when they should be learning. Storing devices in a separate pocket in a backpack or even in a locker outside the classroom can remove the temptation to log on during class.

• Prepare for class in advance . Organizing before class can help students stay focused when a teacher is lecturing, explaining classroom material or engaging students in a discussion. Students who can’t readily access their notes, books or assignments may be forced to spend valuable class time looking for such materials, thus distracting them from the lesson.

• Bring questions to class. Students who jot down questions about a subject prior to class are more likely to be engaged once class begins. Students can ask their questions during the lesson and listen intently to hear if their teacher or professor is answering their questions during their lecture. Either way, bringing questions to class and going over them before class begins can help students narrow their focus to the subject at hand, reducing the likelihood that they’ll succumb to distractions.

• Sit in the front of class. Students who are having trouble focusing can try sitting in the front of class. Sitting in the front ensures students can hear their teachers or professors, and sitting so close might subconsciously compel students to perk up so they’re not caught wandering.

Devices and other distractions can easily compromise students’ focus in the classroom. But various strategies can help students focus so they can perform better academically.

Students begin a new school year hoping to do their best in the classroom. When those hopes are overcome by academic struggles, students may need a little help to get back on track. Students and their parents must keep in mind that no school year is derailed by a poor performance in the year’s opening months. There’s plenty of time for students to rebound, and the following are some ways for students to get back on strong academic footing.

• Make it a collective effort. Rebounding from a difficult start to the school year may require a collective effort on the part of students, their parents and educators. Concerned parents can reach out to teachers to learn where students are struggling and seek recommendations about what to do to help them rebound. Once those areas are identified, students, parents and educations can work together to devise a plan to help kids improve.

• Ask to move seats. A 2020 study published in the journal PLOS One found that sitting further from the instructor negatively impacted students’ grades. Authors of the study, which examined the responses of more than 1,360 students, concluded that, while the evidence is mixed, students who choose to sit nearer to the front of the classroom will do better than those who sit in the back. Students who are struggling can ask to move seats if they’ve been sitting in the back of the class.

• Go over class notes each day. Lectures require significant note-taking, and many students scribble notes as fast as possible so they can keep up. Scribbled notes may be hard to decipher days after a lecture, but they’re more likely to be understood immediately after class or when students arrive home at night. Going over notes at the end of the day or after each class, and even transcribing them from notebooks into typed documents, can help students grasp material more effectively. Typed notes also can make study sessions the night before a test more effective.

• Reserve daily quiet study time. Rebounding from a difficult start to the school year will likely require a daily commitment to performing better in the classroom. Daily study time in a quiet setting, whether that’s at home or at the library, can provide the time students need to focus on their studies without distractions getting in the way. Turn smartphone and device notifications off during study time. Students can even keep a study log to track what they’re studying and the amount of time they study each day. This log can be useful if students need to determine which areas require more time down the road.

A school year is long, so students who struggle at the start of the year still have plenty of time to get back on track and achieve their academic goals.